- Outdated devices increase instability and put business security at risk
- Windows and Mac laptops face patchy updates across global organizations
- Program crashes and forced shutdowns disrupt employee workflows and productivity
Many workplace devices run outdated software, leaving businesses exposed to stability issues and security holes that can disrupt workflows.
New data from Omnissa found that update adoption varies across platforms, and delayed patching often causes inconsistent performance across mixed fleets of enterprise laptops and desktops.
The study reveals that businesses often consider Macs a six-year asset, while Windows PCs tend to be replaced after about three years.
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Differences occur in the life cycle of the device
The data identifies clear differences in stability between operating systems used in enterprise settings—namely, Windows devices experienced 3.1 times more forced shutdowns and 2.2 times more application crashes compared to macOS systems.
In addition, Windows environments experienced 7.5 times more application downtime, increasing the likelihood of repeated workflow interruptions.
These interruptions have a measurable impact, with employees needing nearly 24 minutes to refocus after each interruption.
Such disparities reinforce the need for granular telemetry data to guide device acquisition decisions and ensure enterprise laptops align with employee demands.
Delays in applying updates also impact endpoint protection across organizations, potentially influencing decisions to upgrade.
The study found that more than 50% of desktop computers and mobile devices for education remain unencrypted, while patching holes persist in healthcare and pharmaceutical environments.
These conditions indicate that outdated systems are not only less stable, but also less secure, especially in sectors with strict compliance requirements.
The rapid adoption of AI tools is adding further pressure to already outdated systems as their use increased by nearly 1000% over the past year, introducing more demanding workloads into enterprise environments.
These workloads rely on stable, up-to-date systems to operate efficiently, meaning older devices are more likely to experience performance issues and instability.
“The key question will be how to close blind spots fast enough to keep pace with AI, platform diversity and distributed work,” said Hemant Sahani, Vice President of Product Management at Omnissa.
“Converging DEX, security and management telemetry provides important context that helps teams close the gap between what they assume about the workspace and what telemetry shows is really happening.”
The combination of delayed updates, varying failure rates across platforms, and increasing workload demands puts additional pressure on enterprise devices.
Most organizations run a mix of aging systems and newer deployments with inconsistent maintenance across both Windows and macOS environments.
But as AI tools become more common in daily workflows, the limitations of outdated devices may become more apparent, and it may be time to upgrade.
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